Kingofthegame

That said, his recent form does show some signs of life. A third-place finish appears in his last six runs, and he raced just yesterday, so he is clearly fit and active. Finishing third means he was beaten but not disgraced — there is a horse somewhere in there trying. The dashes in that recent sequence, however, suggest races where he failed to finish in the frame at all, which makes for a frustrating pattern of occasional promise and frequent disappointment.

He is trained by Martin Todhunter, whose yard in Orton, Cumbria has sent out nine winners this season — a decent return that suggests the operation knows how to get a horse ready to perform. If there is a win in Kingofthegame, Todhunter is as likely as anyone to find it. The question is whether, at eight years old and still searching for a first victory, that breakthrough is genuinely coming or whether this is simply a horse who finds ways to finish second, third, or further back. Some horses are like that — honest, consistent in their limitations, always in the race but never quite over the line.